A/N- Congratulations guys! We've made it to the end of SR3! Thank you so much for all of your support, if you guys hadn't been reviewing this the way you did I'd have probably given up a long time ago ;-; I'm way too lazy for my own good. Anyways, after this chapter I will launch into the SR4 storyline, which is much more dramatic than anything you guys have read so far, so I hope y'all like that kind of stuff. BlackOutBlind: nothing will stop me from doing just that :D Faye: for sure! StopTalkingToMe: your wish is my command. sort of ;D Remi: thank you, I wanted to keep her in character but universal all at once. FeistyGreenSnake: yeah that would've been awful :[ and that scene was hilarious, I remember my Boss said something about being on a curling team. Master Chief: he's a weird guy but he has his reasons ^^ Baby Fawn: I hope you like this chapter too! Darcy: I hope you get better soon :( and hopefully this chapter will cheer you up too!

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Saints Row or any of its characters. The content of this story was not meant to insult anyone in any way, shape or form. Rated T for violence and coarse language.

Chapter Ten: Premiere

Things I know for sure about the Boss:

1. She's beautiful.

2. She's deadly.

3. Seriously, she's deadly. She's better with guns than I could ever even imagine being and she's got quite an arm on her as well. Couple that in with her temper problems and her thirst for power and you've got a veritable cyclone of doom headed your way.

4. Her favorite color is not purple.

5. She used to be in love.

6. She had to put down the man she was in love with,

7. Despite the fact that she rarely has time for them, she's amazing at video games.

8. Her parents are still alive.

9. She's never gone to visit them, nor has she ever sent them a written letter or an email.

10. She was in college for the period of one year and took an advanced level English Lit class.

11. She hates furries.

12. She loves soda.

13. I've caught her reading Austen and Brontë novels more than once.

14. According to Pierce, she used to be different. More cold-blooded if that is even imaginable.

15. Nobody knows why she agreed to join the Saints.

16. Nobody seems to care.

17. She's always up to date on the latest fashions and I have no idea how.

18. Somehow she's ended up being twice as impressive to me as Franklin Nyte ever was. I am astounded by her.

19 (perhaps the most important fact). She wanted me to kiss her. I didn't.

I mean it's not like I didn't want to, of COURSE I wanted to. I've been dreaming of how her lips might feel for more than an average amount of time. When the moment came, however, I discovered that I wanted-no, I needed that first kiss to be entirely her decision. My love for her is not even debatable at this point, but her feelings for me are murky at best. Even if, by some strange stroke of luck she happened to want me a fraction as much as I want her, she doesn't really do relationships. Pierce had made that clear enough, and I don't know how to do the whole friends-with-benefits thing, I'm pretty unpracticed in the art of...pleasing a woman. It feels strange just thinking that it may eventually reach that point with her. The boss is untamable and enjoys her freedom, the most I can hope for is that I can convince her, in increments, that love and stability could someday mean as much to her as everything else.

It was instantaneous. The first thing I did when she reached HQ with Viola and Shaundi in tow was throw my arms around her. I'd expected that she would jerk away or punch me out after I'd rejected her earlier, but she does neither of those things. I hold her as Shaundi moves around us to elbow Pierce in the gut and I'm too oblivious to realize that the Queen has gone limp in my arms. It's only when Viola begins tugging at my sleeve that I notice she's fallen asleep.

"She's had a rough day." Shaundi says, her voice kinder than I'd ever imagined it could be. Oleg pulls the sleeping leader of the Saints out of my grip and carries her away from us quite gently. I turn to face Viola then, and give her a much more awkward embrace than I'd given the Boss.

"Matt," she says my name plainly when we separate, "We need to talk."

I must look confused when she says this because she continues after a moment's pause.

"Privately. There's things we've got to sort out and...something I need to tell you."

"Kid's a Saint now." to my shock Pierce moves forward and slings an arm around my shoulders, "Anything you gotta say to him you can say to us."

Shaundi doesn't budge from her position behind us, much less accepting of me than Pierce seems to be. I shrug agreeably and Viola lets out a low sigh.

"Well it's mostly what we're going to do with the assets Killbane left behind." her tone changes abruptly, "And there's something I'm going to say that I don't think any of you will like hearing."

"Spit it out already." Shaundi is as eloquent as always. Viola turns away and lowers herself onto the still upturned couch that had nearly been destroyed when the VTOL crashed into the penthouse. The Saints are obviously not very good maids as the only thing that's changed since then is that the flying vehicle has been manually removed from the side of the building.

"Your Boss is a psychopath."

Pierce snorts and perches on the couch beside her.

"We already know that, girl."

"No, seriously," Viola looks truly distressed, "I watched her smash a woman's chest in without expressing an ounce of disgust or remorse. I guess I should've seen it earlier, but maybe there's a medical reason she likes to kill things."

"You think the Boss's got a mental illness?" Shaundi sounds incredulous and she's shaking her head, "Look, I was there, I saw her. You can't blame her for being pissed after what that bitch said to her."

"She could have just put a bullet in her head, but she decided to literally obliterate her ribcage and rupture her organs instead."

As Viola is saying this it occurs to me that I should feel more frightened than I currently do. After all, wasn't watching Killbane snap Kiki's neck right in front of me-in front of her own sister the most terrifying moment of my life? If I was so agonized by that one swift movement, how does the thought of the Queen mutilating another woman's living body not bother me?

Pierce puts a hand on Viola's shoulder in much the same way that he'd thrust his arm over mine. I've begun to realize recently that despite what I first thought of him, Pierce Washington is not an idiot. He may not be the best tactician but his prowess in chess and his sensitivity to the emotions of others make him almost erudite in a way.

"You're not from Stilwater so you don't know this, but there was a time when the Boss was that unstable every damn second. That 'psychopath'," he makes air quotations as he says the word, "Once buried a man alive. She basically gave another guy a fucking nuclear waste tattoo."

"Nuclear waste tattoo?" I mouth to Shaundi, impressed. It's clear that she still doesn't trust me very much, but she does crack a half-smile.

"She went soft, Vi. When she grew up a bit, she went soft. Still, she can't keep the taint down when she gets real pissed at someone. Make sure that someone's never you."

Viola seems mollified by this, but she manages to fix me with a hard gaze.

"You're getting too close to her, Matt." she points out, "What if she snaps at you one day?"

At this, Shaundi is suddenly across the floor and facing off against Viola. Her voice is strong and even, but I can feel the fury emanating from her like heat.

"The Boss isn't a fucking dog. She doesn't snap just 'cause someone got a bit too close to her damn food bowl." she straightens up out of her battle stance and points at me, "She's loyal to her allies and protective of her friends and, no matter how I feel about it, she likes this stupid kid."

"I'm seventeen, you know." I chime in, but Shaundi silences me with a single glance.

"You know that," Viola ignores me and responds to Shaundi, "I don't, and just going off of what I saw, she's twice as dangerous as I thought! I don't think Matt-"

"Viola, I'll be fine." I interject because I can tell this argument may never end, "She has no intention of hurting me. And as for what's left of the Morningstar and the Luchadores, it's all yours. I don't want anything to do with it."

She looks as if she wants to argue more, but what can she say? In her mind I am too blinded by love and too heavily defended (Shaundi is a pretty terrifying foe) to get through to. I myself know full well that while I am in love, I'm not blinded by it. It's quite obvious to me that the Saints Queen is verging on psychotic and that when she does kill her enemies, she enjoys it. How is that any different from me? I wanted, and still sort of want, to be a God. Ruining Kinzie Kensington's career was my equivalent of her murdering Kia. We'd both drawn satisfaction from the demise of our enemies and we both have a thirst for power that isn't satiated by normal means. Recently mine has been on the downlow, drowned beneath my feelings for her.

In the coming months the Boss throws herself into working on the Gangstas in Space film, something no one had anticipated after she'd very clearly denounced it before that VTOL had crashed into the headquarters. I am cast into the film alongside Kinzie, the only new additions to a movie two years in the making. Kinzie and I fulfill the roles of, just as we do in real life, the Saints' handlers. More specifically I play a man named Cornell who only appears on screen in person twice, and confesses his love to the Boss in that second scene. Through the rest of the movie I am a bodiless voice, bickering with Kinzie over the right course of action and telling my "lover" to stay safe in a bland, repetitive sort of way. It isn't until much later that I find out the Boss chose me for that role personally.

Our almost-kiss is neither mentioned nor continued during all that time, much to my dismay. In fact, I begin to wonder if the Queen is purposely channeling our conversations towards safe topics during the time we spend together. Being seventeen and spending every day with the girl you're interested in starts to feel a little painful when you realize she's deliberately avoiding mentioning one of the best moments of your life.

The evening of the Gangstas in Space premiere finds us in the penthouse scrambling into our tuxedos and gowns, having belated preparations until just moments before. The Boss, who is surprisingly fashion forward, has color-coded her dress with my usual blue Decker tie. I haven't seen it yet but, she assures me as she forces Pierce to choose a black tuxedo over his usual white one, it's the best thing she's ever worn in her life.

"So why don't you go put it on?" Shaundi reads my mind with her inquiry. The Boss pauses in the act of tugging Pierce's clothes off of him to answer her.

"I want that big reveal scene they always have in the movies," she gestures wildly, "You know, where the main character walks down the stairs and she's suddenly damn gorgeous and everyone fucking faints when they see her."

"You want us to faint when we see you?" Pierce's words are muffled by the shirt stuck over his mouth and nose.

"Basically. Or you could start crying."

"I am sure you will be a sight to behold." Oleg's voice drifts over to us as he steps out of the elevator across the room, holding a small bouquet of daffodils in his gigantic hands. He wasn't in the movie, but Kinzie was. They must be for her.

"Thanks, Oleg." her tone changes abruptly, becoming a tad less confident, "Um...did you talk to Angel? Is he coming?"

We all know the answer even before Oleg shakes his head no. Ever since the Boss had decided on saving Shaundi and letting Killbane escape, he hasn't spoken to any of us besides Oleg. Personally I don't see how he's any sort of loss. He's just lucky Killbane was more interested in escaping Steelport than he was in killing his ex-wrestling partner.

It's a long time before everyone else is ready and even longer before the purple limo with the Saints logo splashed on the side arrives. We're all seated on couches around the foot of the stairs (Viola arrived moments ago and we're picking Kinzie up on the way), waiting for the Queen to descend just as she'd commanded.

"I love your shoes, Shaundi." Viola says after a while. I register that she's trying to connect with the girl she's argued with so much over the past year and I feel touched. We're sort of becoming one big, homicidal family.

"Thanks," Shaundi seems confused by the compliment, "I got them at Emmeline's."

Viola smiles at her, a tiny, barely noticeable gesture, and Shaundi sort of grins back. She's still not completely over Viola's part in Johnny Gat's death, but I guess she's getting there.

"So when are we gonna-" Pierce begins, but he's cut right off by the booming voice of his leader.

"Big reveal scene!" the Boss is standing at the top of the stairs, "Annnnnd action!"

She glides down towards us and she looks so breathtakingly beautiful that even Oleg seems impressed. My heart begins to thud loudly enough that I'm sure Viola, seated on my right, can hear it. It's just that her bright blue dress fits her so well, so suggestively, that it flatters her body to epic proportions. There are tiny, white gems sown directly into the fabric of the skirt that catch the light and shine it back at the viewer with the intensity of a clear, rural night's sky. She adjusts the strapless top of the dress as she reaches the last step, her hair perfectly coiffed for the occasion, and then spreads her arms out as if to say "get a load of this!". This is so unfair. I'd expected, when she told us she'd be dressing up, that she'd look great but this is a whole new level of spectacular.

I spring to my feet and hurry to stand in front of her, bowing as deeply as I would if I'd met the queen of England. She laughs unabashedly, tugs me back up, and throws Pierce a look of amusement.

"Pick your jaw up off my nice floor, buddy." she says to him and he snaps to attention immediately. The Saints lieutenant clears his throat awkwardly and holds out his arms for Shaundi and Viola to take.

"Shall we, ladies?"

The girls glance at each other and roll their eyes, but take their positions at his side anyway.

"If we must." Viola mutters. Pierce, seeming quite insulted, traipses towards the elevator with her and a smirking Shaundi in tow. Oleg trails after them in his own lumbering way, cradling his bouquet like a newborn child. The Queen is smiling at them fondly and I once again notice that her affection for her people is very much like a person's love for their family. I take her hand and slip it over the crook of my elbow so I can lead her forward.

"It's nice being hotter than Shaundi for once." she says as we follow the others at our own pace.

"I'll be quite frank with you, my liege." I pause for dramatic effect, "You've been more beautiful than Shaundi every single day of your life."

She beams at me quite happily, but I know her opinion hasn't changed. If there's one thing I've learned about women throughout my limited interactions with Tiffany and Kirsten, it's that they will maintain their own opinions of their appearance no matter what you tell them. Still, it doesn't hurt to help bolster their self-esteem every now and again.

The limousine ride to the Le Marquis Theater is fairly uneventful until Kinzie clambers in wearing the skimpiest formal gown I've ever seen. If the slit on its side was any higher we'd all be in danger of viewing her nether regions. Neither Oleg, the Boss, nor I are surprised, (they because they know her well enough and I because I've seen nearly every file on her computer) but the other women, Pierce, and two high-up Saints (whose names I've never cared enough about to learn) we'd decided could come along with us nearly keel over. After a moment one of the unnamed men lets out a wolf whistle and we all burst into laughter, turning the atmosphere back to normal again.

"Thanks for allowing me to be in your movie." I tell the Saints Queen. She places her hand on my thigh and squeezes it just slightly, but even that's enough to garner a somewhat inappropriate reaction from my teenaged body. I force myself to think of other, less attractive things as she answers me.

"It was for your accent." she says, but I know she's lying, "I could've gotten someone to fake it but the real thing just sounds better."

"Right…" I trail off. It suddenly strikes me that this would be the perfect moment to finish up that kiss we'd never been able to have. Nobody else is paying us any mind, as wrapped up as they are in cracking stupid jokes and drinking their complimentary champagne. The only problem is that I, in all my years of inexperience, have to fight off my crippling anxiety. I drape my hand over hers and try to calm down enough to talk to her rationally.

"I thought-" I break off as my voice starts to shake. She tilts her head to the side.

"Thought what?"

Looking at her, I can pretty much feel my mouth getting ready to ramble on of its own accord.

"It's just that I don't know what's happening between us. I thought that upon getting to know you, I would like you less. It's now clear that the exact opposite of that assumption is true and then it seemed like you felt the same, but you haven't brought it up even once since that day and now-"

"And now you're spilling out your guts on the way to the premiere of my movie." she says matter of factly. Her words sound as if they should be withering but she seems quite cheery in this moment.

"Yes. Wait, no, I mean-" I swallow thickly and try to go a different route, "Look, I'm probably the biggest Nyte Blayde fan in the universe. I live and breathe it, I know the the entire show forwards and backwards better than I know myself. I own more Nyte Blayde paraphernalia than you do guns and-"

"Is there a point to this?"

"Yes, actually, I was just getting there before you interrupted." I say, a little annoyed, "Look, I don't regret my obsession with that franchise one bit, but ever since I met you I've been wishing I was into something...tougher. Something that would better appeal to you, and that's the best way I can think to describe how I'm feeling."

I look up, expecting that she'll laugh at me or pinch my cheeks or something, but she doesn't. Her expression is that of a child in those moments before they first start crying.

"Matt, I-"

"Yo, we're here." Pierce calls out, his head stuck through the moonroof. The Boss clams up pretty quickly then and exits the limo just as fast as she can. She doesn't want to deal with me.

The movie is, as we'd all known it would be, a hit. Despite the fact that its script is terrible, the acting is mediocre, and that the ending was predictable from the very first scene, the audience loved it. I suppose what most people like about the Third Street Saints is not their homicidal tendencies but, in fact, their idiocy. After the credits roll through the Queen and her two highest-ranking lieutenants take the stage to talk about their roles in the movie and to take questions from the audience. In the end, many of the questions are directed at Shaundi and regard her reality TV show (which has not yet had a winner). Pierce seems a little annoyed by this but I cheer him up by asking him about his "magnificent" death scene.

It's past midnight when we're able to leave Le Marquis and the only people who've remained besides us are a few stragglers, some diehard fans, and a couple journalists looking for gossip for their celebrity magazines.

"Boss!" a particularly brave one of them calls out as our group migrates back down the red carpet to our limo, "Could I have a moment of your time?"

She exchanges a look with Pierce that I don't quite understand and he nods, moving past her to lead the others away. The Boss and I are the only ones who stay behind with the reporter.

"I'm in a pretty good mood so sure, what's up?"

"First of all, I wanted to tell you that you look absolutely stunning tonight and to congratulate you on your film's obvious success." the tiny journalist says as she whips a pen and a notepad out of her purse.

"Yup." the Queen says in place of a thank you.

"How did you feel about that plot twist at the end?"

"I loved it. Killbane's a very fatherly guy, don't you think?"

"Definitely. What is the nature of the relationship between Shaundi and Johnny Gat?"

"They're friends but I guess it could've turned into something more. You know, if they hadn't both died."

"Mr. Miller, how do you feel about your role in this movie?" our inquisitor changes tack and questions me. I'm surprised, but the answer comes to me pretty easily.

"I'm not sure I deserved it very much, but I was proud to have received it."

"You did great." she assures me, scribbling in the notepad, "Your accent is flawless and I'm not the only one who thought so."

"That's good to hear." I smile blandly. Without any sort of explanation, the Boss places her hand on the small of my back and pulls me closer to her. The small woman before us picks up on this and hones in on it.

"You two share an on-screen romance," she says suggestively, "Does that also reflect on your personal life?"

I wait for the leader of the Saints to answer this question for me as I have no idea how to. She doesn't say a word. Eventually it reaches the point where both she and the journalist are staring at me expectantly and I feel like I must speak.

"It's nothing like that!" I insist under pressure, "We're quite close, but I mean she's basically royalty and I'm not really even relevant anymore and she's four years older than me and in the end there's no way we'd ever be-"

"Matt." the Boss says my name abruptly, her grip on the back of my tuxedo tightening.

"Y-yes?" I have to stop in my mental tracks to look over at her.

"Shut up." she says. And then she kisses me.

It's truly diabolical, I think as her lips move with mine, of the universe to place her in my path. I'd never imagined before meeting her that one person could be worth more than the sum of everything else I've ever wanted. She's too perfect to me, and this terrifies me. Hero worship doesn't make for very good relationships after all. I try to remember this, that she is as volatile as the sea and could change her mind about me at any moment, but the softness of her mouth has ripped everything else away. A warmth not unlike a fever spreads through me until the only thing that could make me step away from her is the flashes that emanate from what I can only assume is a camera snapping photos of us liplocking. The Queen removes her mouth from mine to respond to the photography and I spot a smudge of my purplish lipstick on her mouth.

"So you are dating this minor?" the journalist twists her earlier question around so it sounds like an accusation. The Boss shrugs and slips her fingers around mine.

"You can figure that one out on your own." she says cryptically, and then drags me away. I glance back at one of the photographers as we go and he sneaks in another shot of my face post-kissing. Fuck.

"Was that really okay?" I'm worried for her, "It's a bit illegal for you to be with a minor."

"You won't be a minor in seven months. Plus, I live to do illegal shit."

She's not lying. Just the other day she crashed a monster truck into a no-parking zone just to prove she could.

"Relax, Matt." the Queen reassures me, "For such a self-confident guy, you sure worry a lot."

I want to remark that being certain of your own good looks has nothing to do with your anxiety levels, but it seems more prudent to remind her I'm serious about her. More serious than I've ever been about anything else.

"I so love you." I breathe as we reach the car and she places her free hand on the door handle. She flashes me a smug grin and her canines glimmer in the lights of the city.

"I know."